Blackmail claimant granted anonymity

An interim injunction and anonymity order has been grated to a claimant in respect of photographs and video of him, about which the defendant was allegedly blackmailing him. The judge considered that there was a strong argument that the claimant’s right to privacy under the European Convention on Human Rights was engaged, and that the rights of the defendant were very weak. The anonymity order was strictly necessary in the interests of justice. The evidence of attempted blackmail included an indication that some information had been put in the public domain. If claimant’s name was identified people who knew he had issued the proceedings and knew what was in the public domain would be able to deduce information about the images.